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| Richard Herr |
By Richard Herr and Anthony Bergin in The Australian 13 September 2013
The Coalition's
foreign policy statement, released just prior to the election, promised to work
with Fiji to normalise relations as soon as possible. Fijian Prime Minister
Frank Bainimarama has indicated he would welcome the Coalition's making good on
this promise. Of course, it takes two to tango; both sides will have to agree
to get on the dance floor.
Bainimarama has long bristled at the "interim PM" label Australia has put on him. He associates the open mocking of him and his government by our media with the Australian government's support for such reporting.
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| Anthony Bergin |
A visit by soon-to-be
foreign minister Julie Bishop would be welcomed in Suva. (As she'd be in Brunei
for the East Asia Summit on Fiji Day, she could send her parliamentary secretary.)
Getting the atmospherics right is critical for building trust in the longer
term. But the immediate need is to address some irritants in the relations.
The sine qua non of
keeping the Coalition's promise to normalise relations will depend on lifting
the travel bans.
The sanctions regime
of the past 6½ years has failed to achieve any useful outcome. Worse, some
have worked against the early return to democracy. Preventing qualified
civilians from taking up positions with the Fiji government has only
intensified the need to rely on able military officers to staff upper levels of
the public service.
Lifting of some
sanctions, especially the travel bans, is a necessary early gesture from Fiji's
perspective. That's the least the Bainimarama administration expects from the
new Australian government. Fiji's new constitution came into force on the
Saturday the Coalition was elected to power. The constitution has generally
received positive reviews despite some criticism on the process and its
content.
Setting aside the
travel bans could be a gesture of good faith pending further talks. Indeed,
it's difficult to see how meaningful engagement on normalising relations could
be pursed without lifting travel bans.
There can be no
objection to an immediate and unconditional lifting of sanctions against the
family members of sanctioned officials on grounds of natural justice and
fairness. The same applies to any civilian taking a position with the
Bainimarama government working for a return to parliamentary democracy.
This should also
include public service positions, whether related to elections or not. It would
help restore civilian authority in the public service.
The Abbott government
will have to come to terms with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. The RFMF
will remain part of the Fijian political scene, even after next year's
elections in Fiji. Our defence engagement with Fiji will be an important part
of our bilateral relationship. Sanctions on the repair of the three patrol
boats we donated to Fiji some years ago have been dysfunctional for both Fiji
and for regional security.
The restoration of
defence attaches and other aspects of normalised relations, such as assistance
to Fiji's military officer training school and the participation of Fiji
officers in our military colleges, will need to be included in the Coalition's
approach.
The Abbott government
will have to do something significant to redeem its pre-election promise or
Fiji will assume the election was simply a continuation of business as usual in
Canberra.
Richard Herr and
Anthony Bergin are co-authors of Our Near Abroad: Australia and Pacific islands
regionalism, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
If you would like to read the book by these authors that is mentioned at the bottom of the article, you can get it free either as a hard-copy or as a pdf from.
I'm not sure if the hard copy is only for Australian postal addresses,
but the pdf is just a download.
If you would like to read the book by these authors that is mentioned at the bottom of the article, you can get it free either as a hard-copy or as a pdf from
2 comments:
'Our Near Abroad' - an intriguing, give-away title. The use of the first person plural is notable. The Royal 'We'? Or the Pacific islands' inclusive 'we'?
For 'abroad' was much farther away and broader in its complexity than anyone seemed able, or capable to fathom. Indeed, light years away and unfathomable in its profound complexity - and still growing apace month by month. Whatever possessed anyone in reason to believe that regional security would be enhanced by sanctioning the repairs to surveillance vessels? By isolating those who were the only source of near and archipelagic surveillance in a region increasingly challenged by the threat of organised criminals? Into this gaping, 7 year Gap, the criminals and their cronies have wrought havoc among us. They have had ample assistance 'in house'.
The constitution 'came into force on Saturday'. Another interesting turn of phrase? Possibly, probably deliberate. For the dysfunction which has become endemic and enduring across a broad spectrum of our living standards and institutional capacities will take years to fix. Many of us will never see the end in sight. We shall have long passed out of the solar system, like Voyager 1, and into interstellar space. Can these sanctions ever be assuaged or erased? We await the fundamental test of an election which is sound and clean. In the run-up, we do not wish to see the waste of further taxpayers' funds landing in the laps of those who have coerced us and goaded us. We are looking for an earnest, honest and focused attention to the task at hand: a restoration of our universal rights and liberties. For, "This is not a game" - (to parody US Secretary of State John Kerry). Oh no. It most certainly is not!
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